First Church of the Nazarene, Los Angeles.
LIVE-STREAM – OPTIONS
https://www.facebook.com/LAFirstNaz
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfcOHk85Db3eReHKIgUmYyQ?view_as=subscriber
Zoom meeting – LAFIRST Church Worship Service
This Body will once again be used when we Reopen In person Services
will have a re-opening worship service at 9 am. (please make an effort to come earlier that 9am to have enough time for screening).
Entrance through courtyard or Juanita Street to the Sanctuary.
We hope to see you there and everyone is welcome.
Please be aware we will not be having Sunday School for children or youth groups.
This is an answer to much prayer. As we all know in the end of May the state guidelines were sent out to help church open our place of worship in a safe and secure way.
It is our aim to do all we can do to protect those who attend our church with safety measures to prevent the spread of all possible illnesses.
After prayer and Fasting
We believe that church gathering is essential and it’s time to start the process of re-opening and meeting together.
The safety of our church is one of the upmost importance, if you’re in a sensitive group that is older or immune compromised please know that we will have services online as we have been doing. So you will not miss out if you don’t feel ready to attend in person. Our Zoom Meeting will be still active as well our Facebook and YouTube Livestream.
Will be following all the guidelines given to us to make sure it is a safe environment. We are so excited for the steps to start meeting together we believe the best is yet to come we will see some of you this Sunday but for the rest we cannot wait to see you are online.
May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of us, as he guides and leads us at this present time of our worship in person.
Peace
LAFE Leadership Team
Executive Summary
“It has been my long cherished desire to have a place in the heart of the city, which could be made a
center of Holy Fire, and where the gospel could be preached to the poor”. Dr. Phineas F. Bresee
Mission Statement
To reflect God’s love in the city, and inspire people to experience a changed life filled with joy,
hope and peace.
Vision Statement
To be a place of inspiration, healing, and compassion, where all cultures, races, and ages, will experience God’s love and impact our community for good.
Core Values
• Authentic Worship: To inspire people to draw closer to God through weekly gatherings
that display transparency and grace
• Diversity: To reflect God’s love through opportunities for fellowship for all people
• Empowering Service: To display God’s love through tangible acts of compassion in our world, that empower and dignify our neighbors
• Networking: To display collaboration with others in our community in order to live out
the values of God’s Kingdom
• Creativity: To continually find ways to reflect the creative nature of God in our own personal growth, as well as our church, community, and world
Reflecting God’s Love in the City
GUIDEBOOK FOR CHURCH FACILITIES
RE-OPENING
I Chronicles 12:32
“… people who understood the times and knew what Israel should do. . .”
When we all realized COVID-19 was going to impact church services, we responded quickly.
In a matter of days, we made tough decisions, moved services online, figured out a new technology suite, stopped doing some things, and started doing other things. Phase one was all about response. Now, we’re looking to reopen. That’s phase two.
Introduction
Although our facilities have been closed, the Church of Jesus Christ is always on the move. However, the reality of the global pandemic of COVID-19 has made us recalibrate how we provide opportunities for worship and our meetings as a community in wise and prudent ways for the greater protection and care of our parishioners. We emphasize that BOTH faith and wisdom be employed for the benefit of our brothers and sisters, the testimony of the Church, and the expansion of the Kingdom of God.
As federal and state ordinances are shifting from quarantine to relaunching businesses and communities, it is imperative to understand that the world has changed significantly. The Church has also recalibrated, regarding how we worship, equip, and most of all, how we make disciples during this pandemic. However, we remain the Church, and as such we will work to create strategies to reopen the doors of our facilities, hold ecclesiastical events and worship services with a thoughtful relaunch guide. This document attempts to provide a roadmap to assist us with that goal.
Message to our Congregations
It is critically important to lead soberly during times of uncertainty. Therefore, having met in prayer with our leadership team to navigate this time of transition, we have evaluated the mission to which God has called our church and we have identified how we can continue to serve our community. As we implement the reopening, we will continue to stream our services through our social media platforms. We know that people will be at different levels of comfort, so we are committed to wisely shepherding everyone in our congregation. We will be mindful not to forget vulnerable and high-risk communities. We pray that, in all our processes, God will guide and help us to be prudent stewards of all our actions of reopening and reintegration.
HYGIENE, CLEANING AND DISINFECTION
We understand that there are some basic logistical elements that must be addressed before inviting people back to our campus. Therefore, we will take time for a walk- through of our campus with attention to detail and a plan to institute and / or expand maintenance and cleanliness. We understand that the overall appearance of our campus will communicate to our visitors and congregants more clearly than ever about the importance of their health and safety. The following person will be responsible for overseeing campus cleanliness and implementing necessary cleaning and disinfection protocols:
Name: The MCB Executive Team, Senior Pastors and TTEE’s
Email: info@la1stnaz.org
Telephone:213-385-6345
General Cleaning and Disinfection Protocols
- Facilities will be thoroughly cleaned every night after
- All high-touch surfaces such as tables, doors, light switches, desks, telephones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, sinks, etc… will be disinfected with EPA-registered disinfectants.
- We will take steps to ensure that all water systems (drinking fountains, decorative fountains) are safe to use after prolonged closure to minimize the risk of water- associated
- We will put up posters on how to stop the spread of COVID-19 around the facilities, and any other State, City Guidance, Protocols, Took Kits.
https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/posters.html
- CA State Guidance
https://covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-places-of-worship.pdf
- LA City Tool Kit Guidance
- LA County Protocols
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/coronavirus/docs/protocols/Reopening_PlacesofWorship.pdf
Maintaining Healthy Operations
- Hand sanitizing stations will be at all entrances of our Sanctuary, The Wiley Chapel, Ada Bresee Chapel, and Moulton Hall and / or we will have hand sanitizer available in key areas of the
- We will have non-contact garbage cans: (1) they will be open or otherwise – (2) remain open – to reduce the spread of Contact Protocols
We will mitigate the risk of transmitting COVID-19 wisely and graciously by eliminating physical contact between the parishioners until further notice:
- We will require the use of masks in all meetings and when they are in the facilities by everyone except minor children 2 years and under. (Only the individuals in the pulpit will temporarily remove their masks, maintaining physical distance/social distancing, for better voice )
- We will limit the size of the meetings according to the guidelines and directives of the state and local authorities (6 feet of distance between each home nucleus (“household”)). This includes weddings, funerals, and any other public
- We will greet each other from 6 feet away without physical
- We will not offer or distribute food, except if they are prepackaged or if they follow CDC protocols.
- Children cannot be left alone without parental supervision /
Monitoring & Surveillance
- We encourage any staff and congregant who feels ill to stay at
- We will notify local health officials if a person diagnosed with COVID-19 has been to the facility. We will communicate with staff and congregants about potential exposure while maintaining confidentiality as required by the American Disabilities Act (ADA).
- We will ask that people exposed to a person diagnosed with COVID-19 stay home, self-monitor and follow CDC instructions if symptoms
- We will close the areas used by a sick person and will not use that area until after cleaning and disinfecting it. We will wait 24-48 hours to clean and disinfect that area to reduce the risk to the cleaning
- We will ask staff and congregants who have been exposed or are ill not to return to the facilities until they have met the CDC criteria: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick / social-distancing.html
Communication Protocols
We will share the information of our opening processes to our congregation and to the community in the following ways:
- We will post a pdf copy of the handbook on our congregation website and we will also email it to all congregational leaders and parishioners who have
- We will make a virtual announcement about our plan that we will put on our social networks (including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and radio stations, etc. whenever possible).
- Guidelines for worship services and meetings in the church will be communicated from the
- We will put informational fliers and signs around the facilities, particularly the areas of greatest use, such as the bathrooms and the
- We will train all staff and leaders using this manual and monitor implementation. If necessary, we will reconvene and retrain to fine-tune the
Worship Service and Gatherings
Seating Arrangements
We will adjust how and where people sit in order to encourage the required physical/social distancing:
- We ask that families arrive early so that we can accommodate them in their seats before
- Once you arrive at the parking lot, follow the usher’s instructions regarding entrance and
- Families will wait until ushers accommodate the family units inside.
- Every other row of seats will be unused, distancing one family from the next with six feet of
- We will accommodate the maximum number of people possible inside our facilities keeping within the limits of social distancing. Once the sanctuary is full, families may choose to do the following:
Be accommodated in the overflow room (for congregations with such a space).
Stay in your vehicle for an drive-in service experience (depends on space and technological capacities in your context)
Wait until the next service (they will be the next in line to be accommodated).
Holy Communion
Prepackaged communion elements will be provided, but we will also encourage families to bring their own.
Offering
We will modify the methods used to receive financial contributions by placing a fixed collection box in the lobby (supervised by ushers) – we continue to encourage electronic donations. Electronic kiosks for giving will be kept closed to reduce the spread of germs.
Baptisms
Baptisms can be performed if a member of the person’s family is able to baptize them. Otherwise, we will postpone baptisms until the COVID-19 vaccine is in full effect. (Some traditions provide baptisms without immersion and will make the necessary adjustments).
Altar Calls
As is our custom, we will continue making calls “to the altar”. However, people will simply raise their hands from their seat for their request. We will not practice physical contact on an individual until it is safe.
Prayer requests can also be made by emailing: Your Senior Pastors / Congregation Leaders.
New Converts
For those who make a profession of faith, they will be asked to put their name, email and number in a basket in the lobby. They can also send an email to Your Senior Pastors / Congregation Leaders.. Someone from the New Converts and Visitors Ministry will contact them and begin their virtual discipleship process.
Pastoral Care
We will continue to offer pastoral care through conference calls or virtual conferences. Requests can be made by emailing or by calling Your Senior Pastors / Congregation Leaders.
PASTORAL CARE FOR VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES AND SENIOR CITIZENS
Attention to Particular Realities
We will continue to provide pastoral care and direct attention to people who cannot return to a face-to-face service due to their state of health or vulnerability or due to technological limitations:
- We will continue to call, Zoom-meetings or send texts to our elderly brothers and sisters and those who are in vulnerable and high-risk
- We will provide assistance to people who want to learn how to connect to virtual platforms.
- We will continue to monitor these communities with our pastoral care team by phone calls and direct
- We will continue to offer our services over radio and send text support
- Our MCB office will continue to receive calls and transfer calls to the pastoral team for follow-up. Staff
The staff are important and key personnel for the reopening of our facilities.
We will do our best to protect our employees and their families by taking the necessary precautions and informing them of the reopening protocols.
Accommodations will be made for high risk employees. Adjustments will also be made for staff with young children.
General Employee Protocols Regarding Cleaning and Disinfection
- Each employee will receive the following sheet in print form and will familiarize themselves with the information on it before they return to the office: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfecting-building-facility.html
- Each employee will be responsible for disinfecting the surfaces and equipment in their office prior to its
Visitor Protocols During Business Hours
- A door ringer is installed. Visitors can dialogue with the MCB office through the gate.
- If the visit is necessary, the MCB office will ensure that the visitor uses a mask and will offer clear instructions on our distancing
- Visitors will disinfect their hands before approaching the receptionist.